Disney+ currently has an impressive number of animated Marvel shows on its streaming service. Among them are some excellent 90's cartoons like Silver Surfer, Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and of course Spider-Man and X-Men. Speaking of X-Men, Disney has had talks with now-retired series producer Larry Houston about reviving the series. Houston wants the original cast to pick up right where they left off and considers X-Men one of the few projects he would happily come out of retirement to work on. According to The Disinsider the series is "reportedly one of the most popular series on (Disney+)." Whether or not that show goes forward we are getting a brand new animated series from Marvel next year.

What If...? the animated series

As many of you have heard Marvel Studios is going to release an animated What If...? series on Disney+. The series is set to come out in the summer of 2021. Marvel has already revealed the premise of several episodes. Jeffrey Wright is going to voice Uatu - The Watcher, who will act as a host narrating the events that take place. Many of the MCU actors are going to voice their own characters. Robert Downey Jr (Iron Man), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Michael Douglas (Hank Pym), Michael Rooker (Yondu), Jeff Goldblum (Grandmaster), Josh Brolin (Thanos), and Chadwick Boseman - R.I.P. (T'Challa) are among the confirmed.

Perhaps Marvel is taking a cue from the success of Sony's animated Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. Sony surprised everyone with an excellent theatrical release using groundbreaking animation techniques that they are seeking to patent. I am sure Marvel does not want to be outdone. Just judging by the cast of What If...? I would think the highest production value available can be expected for their debut animated project.

What If...? the comic book title

This brings us to the original comic book series that the show's concept is based on. What If was a series of one-shot hypothetical stories where characters were placed in alternative situations. A few key books in the title are expensive like What If #10 where Jane Foster becomes Thor (9.8's greater than $700), and What If #105 (2nd series) which introduces Spider-Girl,  Peter Parker, and Mary Jane's daughter (9.8's approaching $500). There are a lot of less expensive books like What If #31 where Wolverine kills the Hulk (9.8's below $200), and What If 44 (2nd series) where Venom bonds to Punisher (9.8's just over $100). There are tons of cool stories all through the first and second series which you can discover just by perusing through the issues. Many of these will probably see a rise in price as the spotlight is drawn to the series from the show, but the issue that started it all was the #1.

The 9.8 for What If #1 has an FMV of $375. There was one lucky bidder in July who won an auction for $239.50. Aside from that and four sales in January-February, every copy this year has sold for over $300. 9.6's have only been crossing the $100 mark since May. Even though there are twice as many 9.6's (278) as 9.8's (138) it might be worth getting a 9.6 if you can find one now for closer to $100. A solid 9.4 can be had for just under $100. The 9.2 is right around $70-$80.

Don't dwell on What If's...get What If...?!

There is still time to pick this book up. If the Disney+ series is successful there will certainly be more episodes as there is no lack of hypothetical stories that can play off what's happening in the rest of the MCU. From the looks of it, for the long run, the prospects for this debut issue appear bright.